Olive Tell
Encyclopedia
Olive Tell was a stage and screen actress from New York City
.
She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
in 1915.
Tell's sister, Alma Tell
, was also a stage actress. The sisters began appearing in the Broadway (Manhattan) theaters at about the same time, around 1918. Olive made her New York debut in the drama Husband and Wife. At first she preferred acting in theater and detested her work on screen.
She first appeared in motion pictures during World War I
. Her early screen roles were in silent films like Sidney Olcott
directed comedy The Smugglers (1916), The Silent Master (1917), The Unforeseen (1917), Her Sister (1917), and National Red Cross Pageant (1917). Tell appeared opposite such popular film actors of the era as: Donald Gallaher
, Karl Dane
, Ann Little
, Rod La Rocque
, Ethel Barrymore
and a young Tallulah Bankhead
.
Tell married First National Pictures movie producer, Henry M. Hobart, in 1926. Her first husband was killed in World War I. Hobart and Tell moved to California
in 1926 and stayed in Hollywood for twelve years.
Her final screen credits came in the late 1930s. She performed in In His Steps (1936), Polo Joe (1936) with Joe E. Brown
, Easy To Take (1936), Under Southern Stars (1937). Tell's final screen appearance was in the George Cukor
directed drama Zaza
(1939), starring Claudette Colbert
.
Olive Tell died in Bellevue Hospital in 1951 after suffering a fractured skull at the Dryden Hotel, 150 East Thirty-Ninth Street, New York City, where she resided. She was fifty-six years old.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
in 1915.
Tell's sister, Alma Tell
Alma Tell
Alma Tell was an American stage and motion picture actress whose career in cinema began in 1915 and lasted into the talkie era of the early 1930s....
, was also a stage actress. The sisters began appearing in the Broadway (Manhattan) theaters at about the same time, around 1918. Olive made her New York debut in the drama Husband and Wife. At first she preferred acting in theater and detested her work on screen.
She first appeared in motion pictures during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Her early screen roles were in silent films like Sidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter.-Biography:Born John Sidney Alcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great directors of the motion picture business...
directed comedy The Smugglers (1916), The Silent Master (1917), The Unforeseen (1917), Her Sister (1917), and National Red Cross Pageant (1917). Tell appeared opposite such popular film actors of the era as: Donald Gallaher
Donald Gallaher
Donald Gallaher was an American actor.Gallaher was born in Quincy, Illinois. After moving to New York City as a child with his mother, he began acting in productions such as A Royal Family....
, Karl Dane
Karl Dane
Karl Dane was a Danish comedian and actor known for his work in American films, mainly of the silent film era. He worked alongside Rudolph Valentino, John Gilbert, and King Vidor. In 1926, he teamed up with George K. Arthur to form the successful comedy duo Dane & Arthur...
, Ann Little
Ann Little
Ann Little was an American film actress whose career was most prolific during the silent film era of the early 1910s through the early 1920s.-Life and career:...
, Rod La Rocque
Rod La Rocque
-Biography:He was born Roderick La Rocque in Chicago, Illinois. He began appearing in stock theater at the age of seven and eventually ended up at the Essanay Studios in Chicago where he found steady work until the studios closed. He then moved to New York City and worked on the stage until he was...
, Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
and a young Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
.
Tell married First National Pictures movie producer, Henry M. Hobart, in 1926. Her first husband was killed in World War I. Hobart and Tell moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1926 and stayed in Hollywood for twelve years.
Her final screen credits came in the late 1930s. She performed in In His Steps (1936), Polo Joe (1936) with Joe E. Brown
Joe E. Brown (comedian)
Joseph Evans Brown was an American actor and comedian, remembered for his amiable screen persona, comic timing, and enormous smile. In 1902 at the age of nine, he joined a troupe of circus tumblers known as the Five Marvelous Ashtons which toured the country on both the circus and vaudeville...
, Easy To Take (1936), Under Southern Stars (1937). Tell's final screen appearance was in the George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
directed drama Zaza
Zaza (film)
Zaza is a feature film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by George Cukor. The screenplay was written by Zoe Akins, based on play the Zaza. The music score is by Frederick Hollander...
(1939), starring Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
.
Olive Tell died in Bellevue Hospital in 1951 after suffering a fractured skull at the Dryden Hotel, 150 East Thirty-Ninth Street, New York City, where she resided. She was fifty-six years old.
Selected Filmography
- WomanhandledWomanhandledWomanhandled is a 1925 silent film comedy, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It is based on a short story by Arthur Stringer and stars Richard Dix and Esther Ralston.-Cast:*Richard Dix - Bill Dana...
(1925) - The Trial of Mary DuganThe Trial of Mary Dugan (film)The Trial of Mary Dugan is a 1929 talking film produced and distributed by MGM and starring Norma Shearer. The film is based on the 1927 Broadway stage play, The Trial of Mary Dugan, by Bayard Veiller who also directed this film. On stage the play had starred Ann Harding , who would come to...
(1929) - Ten Cents a DanceTen Cents a Dance (1931 film)Ten Cents a Dance is a 1931 romantic drama film starring Barbara Stanwyck as a married taxi dancer who falls in love with one of her customers...
(1931) - The Witching HourThe Witching Hour (film)The Witching Hour is a 1934 film directed by Henry Hathaway. It stars Guy Standing and John Halliday. -Cast:*Guy Standing as Judge Martin Prentice*John Halliday as Jack Brookfield*William Frawley as Jury Foreman*Judith Allen as Nancy Brookfield...
(1934) - The Scarlet EmpressThe Scarlet EmpressThe Scarlet Empress is a 1934 historical drama film made by Paramount Pictures about the life of Catherine the Great. It was directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg from a screenplay by Eleanor McGeary, loosely based on the diary of Catherine arranged by Manuel Komroff...
(1934)